Zambello’s Account of Bizet’s Gypsy Returns

Last night the War Memorial Opera House saw the first of eight performances by the San Francisco Opera (SFO) of Georges Bizet’s Carmen. Francesca Zambello returned to the San Francisco Opera to revive her staging, which received its first performances in 2019. Mezzo Eve-Maud Hubeaux made her United States debut singing the title role. The role of Don José, the victim of Carmen’s charms, saw the return of tenor Jonathan Tetelman, who had made his SFO debut in the fall of 2022 as Alfredo Germont in Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata. José’s “rival” for Carmen’s attention, the matador Escamillo, was sung by bass-baritone Christian Van Horn.

Eve-Maud Hubeaux’ portrayal of Carmen (photograph by Cory Weaver, courtesy of SFO)

This opera receives so much attention by just about every opera company that even the most seasoned opera-goer can be forgiven for taking a here-we-go-again approach to a performance. In that respect, Zambello deserves credit not only for the overall flow of imaginative staging but also for developing the leading characters as more than cardboard stereotypes without letting them over-emote the roles. As a result, mezzo Eve-Maud Hubeaux brought a commanding presence to her interpretation of the title role. Her character clearly knew how to exercise her seductive appeal, but the overall course of character development made it clear that her only asset was her ultimate undoing. Where José was concerned, Tetelman was never afraid to highlight the weaknesses in his character, making the efforts of Micaëla (soprano Louise Adler, making her American debut) all the more poignant.

On the surface, this narrative reveals itself as an almost panoramic view of affairs of the heart, both cultivated and frustrated. However, from the very beginning, Bizet’s music casts the dark shadow of fate over that panorama. In many respects, what makes Zambello’s staging interesting is her ability to capture the impact of that shadow on all of the principal characters in the opera. However, familiar the narrative may be, this was a production that encouraged one to follow all its twists and turns while, at every stage, relishing how the music (instrumental as well as vocal) leads the way along the path. Carmen may be one of the best examples of how music can elevate a narrative above the “ground level” of plot.